Megathread Archie Sonic Main Discussion

[Your Vest Friend]

Actually, I just had a brainwave and went back on that DCB Service site.

So okay, Sonic Mega Drive: Overdrive can potentially be explained by an auto-cancel since it passed the release date.

...That doesn't explain why they've also cancelled Sonic #293 or Sonic Universe #96, which prior to the delays had a release date of March 22nd and March 8th. You can still try to pre-order Sonic #294 and Sonic Universe #97 on their site though. 

Only thing I can potentially speculate is that regular issues stop taking pre-orders once their month of release hits, hence why the April issues are still up. But that seems like a pretty unreliable way to run things. 

 

[Volphied]

23 hours ago, Ayliffe said:

fuck

 

seriously, fuck

 

Still, if the worst were to happen, Archie wouldn't have a reason to stay silent about it any more.

The continued silence leads me to believe that nothing is decided right now. All we know is that release dates got pushed, and that has happened before.

[Your Vest Friend]

The reason would be to keep the fans with them as long as possible, hence why not warning of a cancellation is apparently so common. 

[Tylinos]

But it does still show that they (probably) at least haven't decided for certain that the book's over.  If they had, they're kind of obligated to transfer people's subscriptions to other books.  That hasn't been done yet.

[Salamander]

How do Archie's subscriptions work, though?  Could they run people's subscriptions out without having to transfer them or issue refunds by, for instance, repeatedly claiming comics were delayed when in fact they had been cancelled?

I mean, I dare say Archie would be opening themselves up to litigation with such a measure, but that's not exactly a new experience for them at this point.

[Your Vest Friend]

Okay, so Archie operate much like other comic companies and offer a number of options for cancelled comics. This excerpt is taken from Marvel's subscription FAQ.

"If a title you have subscribed to has been cancelled, you have several options. You can request a refund for undelivered copies, have your subscription balance transferred to another title or extend an existing subscription. The default will be an automatic transfer of your remaining issues to a running, relevant title."

Problem for Archie is that if Sonic is entirely cancelled, there isn't really a relevant title to automatically send it to (I know there was one time that a comic cancellation was transferred to Jughead, but that wasn't on this scale), so most subscribers would likely chase up a refund, which would cost them quite a lot. So at the very least, Archie would have the motive to play shady and drag out the subscriptions. 

[JC_Mike]

10 hours ago, VEDJ-F said:

Okay, so Archie operate much like other comic companies and offer a number of options for cancelled comics. This excerpt is taken from Marvel's subscription FAQ.

"If a title you have subscribed to has been cancelled, you have several options. You can request a refund for undelivered copies, have your subscription balance transferred to another title or extend an existing subscription. The default will be an automatic transfer of your remaining issues to a running, relevant title."

Problem for Archie is that if Sonic is entirely cancelled, there isn't really a relevant title to automatically send it to (I know there was one time that a comic cancellation was transferred to Jughead, but that wasn't on this scale), so most subscribers would likely chase up a refund, which would cost them quite a lot. So at the very least, Archie would have the motive to play shady and drag out the subscriptions. 

I just took a look at Archie's website to see If I could find any info about subscription cancellations. I found this on their About Us page in a paragraph about refunds and exchanges:

" All subscription cancelations will receive a credit only for purchases that can be used towards products throughout our store" (they spelt cancellations wrong lol)

So they wouldn't give you an actual refund, just credit towards another purchase. Although that doesn't explain why Mega Man subscribers where getting their subscriptions transferred to Jughead (or for that matter, why weren't they being transferred to the sonic comics).

Edit: Looks like Archie is having a panel at a convention that is being live-streamed at select comic book stores (http://archiecomics.com/archiecoast2coast17/). Looks like Ian Flynn is going to be on that panel, although I think he's there for Jughead and it looks like they are not taking any questions :(. Here is the list of stores that this will be broadcasting at: http://coasttocoastcomiccon.com/stores/

[Kidakairis]

The title that VEDJ-F is referring to was the Mega Man comic. Looking back over the letter it seems that Archie doesn't offer a refund offer just a transfer with a complimentary addition. Someone please correct me if I am wrong.

I am amazed that it has gone on this long without an official confirmation if the series will continue,or will be cancelled. I have no background in law but agree with most that Archie is simply unsure on the future of the title. This or simply legally they are not aloud to make a statement.

I did look up sales for the comic and they have dropped ever since the reboot but it did seem like they have evened out. I would hate to find out this was all due to Penders/Fulop legal disputes. Even if this was the case however it is still Archies fault for there incompetence as a publisher. Hopefully we keep getting comics through Archie or another publisher but sadly only time will tell.

[goku262002]

On 3/4/2017 at 3:01 PM, JC_Mike said:

Edit: Looks like Archie is having a panel at a convention that is being live-streamed at select comic book stores (http://archiecomics.com/archiecoast2coast17/). Looks like Ian Flynn is going to be on that panel, although I think he's there for Jughead and it looks like they are not taking any questions :(. Here is the list of stores that this will be broadcasting at: http://coasttocoastcomiccon.com/stores/

 

I'd still like someone to go there just to ask around, this silence tactic Archie seems to be doing is really starting to become tiresome and with not even status updates to the situation or even being told their comics are being pushed back by months subscribers are going to start getting angry at some point.

I wonder if a lawsuit will come from this regardless of the comic's future? being completely silent like this has got to be a violation of something.

[RetroRy]

...So did anyone watch the stream? Was anything brought up?

[Your Vest Friend]

I've not heard anything, so I assume there was nothing to report back on. 

[Big Panda]

Something I just noticed: Archie's contact information still includes Sonic Grams. Make of that what you will.

EDIT: Archie Action also still appears in the news letter options.

[Borvoc]

3 hours ago, Ernest-Panda said:

Something I just noticed: Archie's contact information still includes Sonic Grams. Make of that what you will.

You mean the address for sending fan mail and art?

Edit: http://archiecomics.com/about-us/

Edit 2: Didn't read your post carefully enough. You said "Sonic Grams", so of course you're talking about fan mail and art.

For the record, the word "Sonic" is on that page exactly three times—three being a number that according to Gabe Newell of Valve must not be said. I'm unclear what this means for the Sonic comic, but I'm pretty sure it means something for Half-Life 3.

[RetroRy]

A good deal for collectors out there.  Tracy Yardley has put a permanent discount on his Sonic pages.  Use code SONICFAN to get 33% off at checkout.

https://tracy-yardley-comic-art.myshopify.com/

EDIT: Not sure if the deal is related to whats going on in the comic but still a good deal none the less...

[Zippo]

Update? Has anything new happened in the past week?

[PC the Hedgehog]

I'm sure this post will be readily updated when something of merit happens.

[RictalRose0]

Apparently Archie did adress the Sonic situation (well not really, but they addresed it by consequence of adressing the delays of their other stuff) and all they said was that right now they are focusing on their new show, Riverdale. And by the way, guess what just got a new season? That's right, CW has confirmed just yesterday that Riverdale will be greenlight for a second season. So imagine, shaky ratings that just barely allowed them to get a second season, and the promise of adapting the rest of their comic properties to the TV screen if Riverdale does well? Well it might just seem that Archie will be reallly busy with their TV show stuff. So Archie Sonic it's not in a very good spot right now. We'll get that Overdrive eventually, we might even get a Project 2017 adaption. But after that? It's really up in the air guys. 

[Big Panda]

Wishful thinking, I know, but I like to hope now that Riverdale is a success, Archie will decide it's now strong enough to survive on its own and stop putting so much effort into pushing it out there.

[RictalRose0]

But that's the problem, it's not a succes. Not in the way they want to. Terrible ratings are not enough to get you cancelled on the CW, they are not exactly picky. You have to get to around 0.50-0.70 million viewers per episode for them to cancel you. Riverdale gets an average of 1 million viewers per episode, that's just okay. And for a first season it's just slighty above average. Archie will have to work overtime to ensure Riverdale will succed enough to keep it on air and perhaps get more Archie related shows on TV. They don't have the time to focus on their comics, especially not anything not related to Riverdale and such. So not only do they have to work on improving Riverdale's ratings right now, they have to start thinking about that season 2 and plans for Archie's possible TV future. And Sonic is not on those plans.

[Big Panda]

This makes me wonder why they didn't put this much effort into other shows they had over the years (Archie's Weird Mysteries, the animated Sabrina shows, etc.)

[Kintor]

34 minutes ago, Ernest-Panda said:

This makes me wonder why they didn't put this much effort into other shows they had over the years (Archie's Weird Mysteries, the animated Sabrina shows, etc.)

To be fair the live action Sabrina the Teenage Witch in the 90s was a huge hit. I just looked it up, Sabrina's premiere in 1996 had 17 million viewers. Then the show lasted until 2003. Although, I suspect Sabrina's success had more due to with the TV networks than any of Archie's input, given how much the live action show deviated from the source material. (Plus the novelty of a live action talking cat on TV certainly didn't hurt...)

As for why Archie is putting so much effort into Riverdale now? I think it’s more desperation than anything else. The 'Archie' IP has been degrading for decades, it's this weird piece of 40s/50s nostalgia that was divorced from reality even when new. As such, this 'Riverdale' reboot is an attempt to update the Archie formula for the modern era, like the bastard child of Dawson's Creek and Veronica Mars. Archie is betting everything on this TV shows, as they see the 'Archie' IP as the core of their business.

The problem is that I don't think its working. As has been mentioned above, the ratings are the bad side of average. While the whole plan is probably flawed; there frankly isn't much overlap between watchers of teen dramas and comic book readers. I expect Riverdale to crash and burn, taking everything else with it.

Sega really needs to step-in and stabilise the situation. The rest of Archie can fall for all I care but give me more Sonic comics. (Oh, and Mega Man too if Capcom is agreeable.)

 

[SonicComicFanboy]

 Another interesting thing i noticed is that the Reggie & Me book which was supposed to be an ongoing has been reduced to a 5 issue mini-series.

 

  Yep, as much as I hate to say it, Archie is following in Marvel's "screw the comic fans were in thr big leagues now" mindset.  The difference of course being is that Marvel's movies made them enough $$$ for them to be that cocky and I doubt Riverdale has done the same for Archie, even with Passable ratings, the publisher is definitely counting thier chickens before they hatch with this and I feel it will come back to bite then in the long-run.

[RictalRose0]

Then again it is the CW, they have keep The 100 going for 5 seasons now even though their ratings have started to drop below the 1 million mark. You have to be a real screwhead to fuckup on the CW. As long as you keep getting 1 million you're on mostly safe territory. But getting more seasons doesn't equal succes. It's just stalling things more. Archie wants Riverdale to succed, to bring investors in and make the Archie brand appeal to them. They don't just want their show to be stuck on that semi-average limbo that shows like The 100 are stuck on. 

[Big Panda]

To be fair, a second season could potentially allow the show to gain more steam.

Many shows get off to a mediocre start with their first season but once the ball's rolling...

[RictalRose0]

Yes but that would mean even more delays on their comics, because they would have to shift all their talent and focus to Riverdale. Which means that at this rate we won't see the Sonic comic until 2018 or something, if we're lucky we could get three or four issues this year, before they go back to working on Riverdale and also might consider giving Sonic the chop for that matter. I mean really, why keep it going? It's not as if it makes them that much money anyway, or as if Sega pays them. As far as I know Archie is the one that pays to publish Sonic comics. So Sega could care less what Archie does with Riverdale, and if Archie considers cancelling the Sonic books Sega wouldn't even think twice before saying "Sure". Really this is a bad situation for us on both ends. If Riverdale fails then Archie sinks and it's all over, if it stays as it is then Archie focuses only on it and everything else gets screwed up, especially the Sonic stuff. The only way the comic could get saved is if Riverdale had a meteoric rise in popularity and Archie didn't have to worry so much about it. But that won't happen. Archie will struggle with this show for a long, long time, IF it doesn't get cancelled.